UNEDITED.
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"JAYE! Slow down! For God's sake!"
Lumingon siya at nakita si Shelley. Hinahapo ito sa paghabol sa kanya. She was out to jog. Sabado at kapag weekends lang siya nakakapag-jogging.
"What's up?"
"Me and Alex have been meaning to talk to you. Hindi ka namin maabutan. Ilang ulit na kitang tinatawagan. You're not returning my calls!"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, my machine's busted. Bibili na ako this week ng bago. What's up?"
"Well, Alex told me it's no big deal, really, but I beg to differ. We'll talk about it later, okay? We'll have some tea over Alex's place. Okay?"
Tumango na lang siya at nagpatuloy sa pagda-jogging. Tirik na ang araw na makabalik siya sa bahay niya. Pumasok na siya sa kabahayan at nagsimulang maglinis. Alas-dos ay papalabas na siya ng bahay patungo sa bahay ni Alexandra. Napangiti siya nang makitang nasa tapat na ng bahay niya ang kanyang sasakyan. Nakasandal sa hood si Max.
Nakangiting lumapit ito sa kanya. "I told you I'd take care of your car. Had it cleaned and waxed." Inabot nito sa kanya ang susi.
"Thanks. What are you doing here?" Kumunot ang kanyang noo. "You couldn't find anyone else to bring me back my car?"
"Are you kidding me? I've got people, Jaye. I just wanted to see you again."
She suddenly became coy. Tila may isip ang kanyang daliri na kusang inipit ang ilang hibla ng buhok niya sa kanyang tainga. "I h-have somewhere to go."
"Can I come with you?" Hindi na niya kailangan pang mag-isip ng matagal. Tumango siya. "Hey, wait." Binuksan nito ang sasakyan niya at mula doon ay inilabas ang isang malaking kahon ng tsokolate at ibinigay sa kanya.
"Thank y-you."
Ngumiti lang ito, pinisil ang kanyang baba, at ginagap ang kanyang kamay. Something told her it was not right to let him hold her hand but she did not want him to let go. Ang kanyang dibdib ay ganoon na lang ang sasal. Noon lang niya nadama ang ganoon sa tanang buhay niya.
It felt so refreshingly nice. Malapit lang ang bahay ni Alexandra sa kanya at doon na nga sila nagtungo. Saka lang niya naalalang may pag-uusapan nga pala sila ng mga ito.
"Is there anything wrong?" tanong ni Max.
"I just remembered, we're supposed to have a little girl talk."
"Medyo mahirap yata 'yan, maraming boys." Inginuso nito ang triplets na noon ay nagwa-watergun sa hardin. Sina Shelley at Alexandra ay nakatingin lang sa mga ito, kapwa napapailing. Siya naman ay lumapit na sa mga ito. Agad siyang bineso ng mga ito. Ipinakilala naman niya si Max.
"Do you have an extra gun?" tanong ng lalaki kay Alexanda.
"My husband does." Mukhang natuwa naman si Alexandra at agad pumasok at nang lumabas ay ibinigay ang watergun dito.
"I can play with them. Is that's okay with you? I heard you, ladies, are supposed to have a little chat?"
"Oh, you're an angel. Warning lang, medyo matigas ang ulo ng mga 'yan. It's my maid's day off. My husband's supposed to take care of them but he's talking to a client."
Ngumiti lang si Max. Ipinakilala ito ni Alexandra sa triplets. Mukhang agad na nagkasundo ang mga ito. Nilapitan siya ni Max.
"Niyaya ako sa playground. We'll be back later."
"Okay," tanging naitugon niya. He gently pinched her cheek and joined the triplets.
"He's one hot hunk of love," si Alex.
"Bakit ngayon mo lang ipinakilala?" si Shelley.
"I met him only a couple of days ago. But don't worry, Alex, your kids are safe. He's the president of my company."
Laglag ang panga ng mga ito. Panay ang tanong ng mga ito sa kanya at sumagot naman siya sa abot ng kanyang makakaya. Nauwi sa iisang konklusyon ang mga ito: tinamaan daw ng matindi sa kanya ang lalaki. Wala siyang naitugon. Hindi siya handa sa mga ganoong komento.
"Ano ang sasabihin n'yo sa akin?" tanong niya mayamaya. Bilang tugon ay inilabas ni Shelley ang laman ng isang paper bag.
It was an old, beautifully hand-painted tin can. Nang buksan niya ay nakita niya sa loob ang ilang sulat at Polaroid picture. Napanganga siya nang makita ang larawan. It was Cattie, Mrs. Filomino's cat. Nakabitin ito sa kung saan gamit ang isang sinturon, patay na. Ang background ng larawan ay indoors. Ang tanging napansin niya doon ay isang lata ng pintura. It could have been taken anywhere.
Nang tingnan niya ang mga sulat ay natuklasan niyang sulat ang mga iyon ni Isabella sa ina.
"Where did you get these?!" tanong niya.
"Read the letters."
"No way. We should return this. Do you know what this means?"
"Will you please read the letters first?" giit ni Shelley.
Alam niyang maling basahin ang mga iyon, pero nadaig siya ng kuryosidad. Hindi mahaba ang mga sulat. Ang una ay may petsa noong nakaraang taon pa. It read: Why don't you want to help me, mother?
The second one, dated a few weeks before Mrs. Filomino's death, read: Thanks for the help you did not offer. I'm coming back home as soon as I get things done here. You know what that means.
Nang baligtarin niya ang larawan ng pusa ay may nakasulat doon: Alam ko ang sikreto mo. Sasabihin ko.
Napatingin siya sa mga kaibigan. "Someone blackmailed her."
"I think it's Isabella," si Shelley.
"That doesn't make sense. Wala siya rito. And why would she do that to her own mother?"
"But her letters say everything," giit ni Shelley.
"Paano mo ba nakuha ang mga ito?"
"The day after her burial, I went cycling. Nakita ko si Lulu, palabas ng bahay nila. Wala si Mister Filomino. Alam ko namang may susi talaga si Lulu, pinagkakatiwalaan siya ni Mrs. Filomino. Dala niya ito, nagmamadali siya. I got suspicious. Nagtanong ako. Ayaw niyang ipakita, lalo akong nagduda. Nag-agawan kami, nalaglag 'yan."
"Lulu is the blackmailer," lahad niya.
"Imposible," si Alex. "Ang sabi niya rito kay Shelley, araw ng linis niya sa bahay. She said she wanted to take something to remember Mrs. Filomino by."
"And you believe that?"
"No. I think she thought something valuable was in there so she took it."
"Hindi niya man lang tiningnan bago niya kinuha?"
"Posible. Baka nga kaya siya nagmamadali. Baka parating na si Mister Filomino. Basta't imposibleng si Lulu ang namba-blackmail kay Mrs. Filomino. Nakasama ko na rin siya ng ilang beses dito sa bahay. Mabait siya. Isa pa, siya ang nagpapaligo kay Cattie noon. Hindi niya kayang patayin ang pusa. At anong sikreto ang puwede niyang malaman? Hindi tanga si Mrs. Filomino para mag-iwan ng clue sa bahay niya para makita ni Lulu."
"Nothing adds up then."
"I thought so, too. Besides, that's none of our business. But I think we should tell Mister Filomino."
Ikinuwento niya sa mga ito ang nangyari nang nagdaang gabi. Kung anu-anong sapantaha na ang nabuo sa isip ni Shelley. Isa lang ang malinaw sa kanila sa puntong iyon: may nam-blackmail sa matanda at siguro ay iyon ang dahilan kung bakit nagpatiwakal ito.
Nagdesisyon si Shelley na kausapin si Lulu at saka silang lahat ay tutungo kay Mister Filomino upang ibalik ang kahon. Nagpaalam na si Shelley.
Noon naman nagbalik ang triplets at si Max. Tawa nang tawa si Alexandra nang sabitan sila ng garland ng mga anak nito---gawa sa kung anong dahon at ligaw na bulaklak.
Nag-blush na lang siyang bigla nang sabihin ni Daniel, ang pangay sa triplets, "Tito Max told us to give that to you, Tita. He said you're so beautiful and you deserve flowers. He made that for you."
"Are you two boyfriends and girlfriends?" tanong ng ikalawa, si Davies.
"Do you have a crush on her, Tito?" tanong ng ikatlo, si Dennis.
"I sure do," tugon ng binata habang nakatitig sa kanya. Lalo nang nag-init ang kanyang mukha.
Ayaw pa silang paalisin ni Alexandra at hinainan sila nito ng cake. Mukhang tuwang-tuwa naman ang triplets kay Max. She couldn't blame the kids. Max was adorable.
Nang magpaalam na sila sa mga ito ay isang kindat ang ipinabaon sa kanya ni Alexandra. Nakangiting napailing na lang siya.
Max held her hand and they walked back to her house. She felt so warm inside.
POOR Jaye was trying to figure out what it was about Max's hand that made her feel so warm inside. She was experiencing something so new to her. She didn't have a clue what was going on inside Max's head while he held her hand.
And Max didn't have a clue Jaye was so much more than what he thought she was.
It seemed like everyone on Dark Chocolate Street was reading everyone else wrong. But I guess that's the way people truly are. We tend to give importance to what we see on the surface. It's too easy to take comfort when we see only the things what we want to.
Max only saw his impending success in a plan he meticulously calculated. He failed to notice he, too, felt warm inside holding Jaye's hand. He wanted to see her down and miserable. He had already looked so far ahead he had pictured everything in his head quite vividly---down to the shamed expression on his father and Jaye's face when he told them he set them up and they fell for it.
Shelley, alone in her house that night, thought about me once again. She had so many things on her mind. She was up all night thinking what my big secret was. She also thought about who my blackmailer was. She had pictured my daughter killing Cattie. She had pictured my husband doing the same thing, too...
Yes, people tend to look so far ahead sometimes that they fail to see that what they were looking for were so close to them... Maybe only a few steps away.